Theta-Phase Connectivity between Medial Prefrontal and Posterior Areas Underlies Novel Instructions Implementation
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
Society for Neuroscience
Materia
Cognitive control Connectivity EEG Instructions following Phase-locking value Theta oscillations
Fecha
2022-07-22Referencia bibliográfica
Formica, S... [et al.] (2022). Theta-phase connectivity between medial prefrontal and posterior areas underlies novel instructions implementation. Eneuro, 9(4). [https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0225-22.2022]
Resumen
Implementing novel instructions is a complex and uniquely human cognitive ability, which requires the rapid
and flexible conversion of symbolic content into a format that enables the execution of the instructed behavior.
Preparing to implement novel instructions, as opposed to their mere maintenance, involves the activation
of the instructed motor plans, and the binding of the action information to the specific context in which this
should be executed. Recent evidence and prominent computational models suggest that this efficient configuration
of the system might involve a central role of frontal theta oscillations in establishing top-down
long-range synchronization between distant and task-relevant brain areas. In the present EEG study (human
subjects, 30 females, 4 males), we demonstrate that proactively preparing for the implementation of novels
instructions, as opposed to their maintenance, involves a strengthened degree of connectivity in the theta
frequency range between medial prefrontal and motor/visual areas. Moreover, we replicated previous results
showing oscillatory features associated specifically with implementation demands, and extended on them
demonstrating the role of theta oscillations in mediating the effect of task demands on behavioral performance.
Taken together, these findings support our hypothesis that the modulation of connectivity patterns between
frontal and task-relevant posterior brain areas is a core factor in the emergence of a behavior-guiding
format from novel instructions.